Bappa chi thali: What goes into a naivedya platter during Ganesh Chaturthi?

That he loves modak is no secret, but every household whips up a special spread to welcome the Elephant God. A restaurateur taps into her childhood memories to decode what goes into a naivedya platter

Sonali Dhamanikar’s memories of Ganesh Chaturthi are coloured by the spirited hubbub of a sarvajanik celebration in her native village, Dhamani, in Pune district. In the 10 days that Bappa makes himself at home, each family in the community takes turns to cook up a feast for the Elephant God. 

“Every day, new delicacies are whipped up at home,” shares Dhamanikar, an advocate who started her restaurant Sasarwadi, in Seawoods, to offer urban diners a taste of the traditional recipes of her grandmothers and aunts that she grew up relishing. While each naivedya spread is different, she decodes what goes into a typical platter in her gaon, most of which she also serves up at Sasarwadi.

Puran poli: The flour and sweetened chana dal-stuffed flatbread is a must-have on every festive occasion. In cities, it’s served with ghee, but in Dhamanikar’s hometown, puran poli is dunked into gulawani. 

Kurdai: The spiral-y white papad, made of wheat or rice, adds a crunch to the spread.

Gulawani: A slurry of the water in which jaggery is boiled, and mixed with ghee and milk.

Katachi amti: It’s prepared with the water left over from the boiled chana dal that’s used to make puran poli. Sweet, spicy and tangy, it’s paired with rice.

Ukadiche modak: No feast offered to Bappa is complete without the steamed coconut-jaggery-stuffed dumplings.

Gol bhaji: A variation of pakodas, these onion- green-chilli-besan balls are a deep-fried delicacy.

Aluwadi: Prepared with the seasonal taro or colocasia leaves smeared with spices, it’s a sweet, spicy and crispy snack.

Masswadi: It’s a special vegetarian treat made with coconut, groundnuts, white sesame, garlic, onions and a slew of spices coated with besan. The preparation involves an intricate style of folding the wadi.

Kothimbir wadi: A monsoon favourite, it is whipped up using fresh coriander leaves, besan, garlic, and a host of different spices.

Masswadi

Ingredients
>> 5 gm coriander seeds
>> 2 gm cloves >> 1 gm star anise >> 2 gm cinnamon
>> 2 gm green cardamom 
>> 3 gm black pepper
>> 5 gm cumin>> 10 gm roasted peanut (crushed)
>> 10 gm white sesame seeds>> 5 gm poppy seeds >> 30 gm dry coconut (grated)>> 15 gm coriander (finely chopped)>> 10 gm garlic>> 20 gm onion (finely chopped)>> 10 gm turmeric
>> 10 gm red chilli powder
>> 5 gm black pepper powder
>> 10 gm oil>> 10 gm salt >> 150 gm besan >> Water as required

Sonali Dhamanikar. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Method
Heat the pan and roast coriander seeds, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper for a few minutes. Set aside. Now, roast sesame and poppy seeds; set aside. Next, roast dry coconut till it’s light brown and keep it aside. In a hot pan, add oil and then toss garlic and onion. In a mixer jar, tip in all the roasted items, along with five gm turmeric, five gm red chilli powder, black pepper powder, 10 gm coriander and five gm salt. Grind to a dry paste. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and add the remaining coriander. In another bowl, add besan, the remaining chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Mix it. Knead into a dough by adding water. Keep it aside. Make small balls and roll them into discs. Place the masswadi mixture in the middle of the disk, and fold the dough over like you do for a gujiya. Now, you can deep-fry, steam or bake them. Once done, cut them into slices and garnish with coriander and fresh coconut.

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